Title: Fred VanVleet, Raptors bench reward faith amid struggles, help even seriesDate: May 21, 2019Original Source:The AthleticSynopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote about the Raptors bench finally figuring things out and swinging a Game 4 victory more than anybody could have expected.

A banked-in 3 is normally the type of fortune reserved for slump-busting. Amid cold stretches, players will often look to a break going their way as a rallying point, a sign that whatever intangible factor has been suppressing performance has vanished. Variance is not controlled by a merciful god. It only sometimes feels that way.

On Tuesday, a bank was instead the cap on a turnaround it normally would have portended.